


Hidden for Short

by shewritesall



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers - Freeform, Edinburgh, F/M, Marvel - Freeform, Post-Civil War (Marvel), The Raft Prison (Marvel), scarletvision - Freeform, wandavision - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-05-02 07:14:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 13,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14539431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shewritesall/pseuds/shewritesall
Summary: Wanda was supposed to be safe in Edinburgh.  She was supposed to remain hidden without anyone discovering who she was.  Thank goodness Vision is there when things go wrong and General Ross figures out her location.  However, not even human-like synthezoids have the power to prevent everything.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own any of the characters that you have enjoyed so much from Marvel (obviously).

_Wanda's POV_

The bed was empty when I woke up.  I reached around, trying to feel another body even if I couldn't detect it with my mind.  Reluctantly, I opened my eyes to scan the room.  It was empty. In any other situation, that would be fine by me, but I knew Vision had to be here somewhere.  

“Vizh?”  I called, sitting up and pulling the covers off me.  I stood up, instantly missing the warm blankets in the cold room.  I wrapped my arms myself and walked out of the bedroom, peering down the hall into the bathroom for Vision.  He wasn’t there. I frowned and continued into the kitchen, hoping to find Vision. It was empty, too, and I was beginning to panic.  I checked the rest of the house thoroughly, reaching out to Vision telepathically to see if I was just overlooking him.

After searching the house a couple times, I found myself in the living room, on the verge of panic.  Vision was supposed to be here. He wasn’t supposed to be missing; no one knew where we were at. He couldn’t have been kidnapped, right?  I couldn’t calm down, no matter how hard I tried to reason that he was safe. My breathing became shallow and fast and I jumped at the sound of the door opening.  Whoever had taken Vision had now come back for me.

“Wanda?”  I closed my eyes tight, my arms becoming tighter around me as I waited for General Ross to appear and return me to the Raft.  “Wanda?” It took all I had not to start crying. I heard the floor creak as someone rushed towards me. When I felt Vision touch me, though, my eyes snapped open.  

“Vizh?”  I asked quietly.  He nodded, pulling my hands off my arms and wrapping them around him.  He hugged me tightly, kissing the side of my head. “Y-You were gone.” I felt him bury his face in my hair and I hugged him tighter.  

“I left a note,”  Vision told me softly.  “It was on the nightstand.  I just went to get orange juice for breakfast.”  

“I’m sorry,”  I muttered, pulling myself closer to him.  He rubbed my back as I hugged him, trying to refrain from crying.  

“Let’s have some breakfast,”  Vision said, pulling away just enough to look at me.  He didn’t let me go and I didn’t let him go either. “We can go to the park later today and maybe even go to a movie or something.”  I nodded and followed him into the kitchen, my hand still tightly in his as I walked closely beside him. He was still in his human disguise; he was almost never himself when he was here.  Neighbors could look in and see or come visit us unexpectedly. I didn’t mind his new form, it made sure I didn’t have to fight anyone about him being human.

Vision had made french toast for breakfast.  Since he didn’t sleep, he would often make breakfast early in the morning while I was still asleep then return to wake me up once breakfast was ready.  He had learned how to cook basic food very well. Any special Sokovian dish, though, and he got lost quite easily. He often watched YouTube tutorials and sometimes I would catch him watching kids’ cooking shows, in awe of how skilled they were.  

“Did you sleep well?”  Vision asked, handing me a plate of french toast.  I gladly took it from him and he sat down across from me, eating the food as well.  He ate with me, now. He had gotten into the habit and found it rather enjoyable even if he didn’t see the point in doing something he could not benefit from.  

“Yes, considering the time of year,”  I replied. Vision nodded in understanding.  He knew around October, my nightmares got worse.  Pietro and I were born in October and for him to no longer be with me on them made them miserable.  Now, I just tried to forget the day despite how bad my nightmares got.

We finished our breakfast in silence.  When I had finished eating, I put my plate in the sink then left for the bathroom.  I took a shower and changed into jeans and a warm, knit sweater. I walked back into the kitchen to see Vision putting the dishes away after washing them.  We had a dishwasher, but he preferred to hand wash them. It gave him something to do while I showered and he said he found it soothing.

“Do you think we could go to Glasgow for the day?”  I asked. We had been spending most of our days in the house or in Edinburgh, but a couple months ago we had taken the train to Glasgow.  We had both agreed to come back and it had quickly become one of our favorite places within easy travel distance.

Vision glanced up at me as he wiped his hands dry and smiled.  

“Of course,”  he replied. “I will go wash and then we shall depart.”  I watched him walk off into the bedroom and shut the door.  I turned to look out the living room window where I could see the sun rising.  It was still early, just past 7 o’clock but the streets were slowly waking up. I jumped when I felt Vision put his hand on my shoulder, but turned and smiled at him.  “Are you ready to go?” he asked. I nodded and laced my fingers with his, following him out the door and onto the streets.

The walk to the train station wasn’t long, maybe five minutes or so.  It was peaceful. Only a few people were awake and they didn’t even cast us a second glance.  It felt nice to be normal and not have people stare every time we walked past. I could hardly remember a time before Hydra when that was a regular occurrence for both Pietro and me.  

Vision bought two tickets to Glasgow when we arrived at the station.  The next train would be leaving in about fifteen minutes, so we had time to kill.  We decided to just stay in the station and walk around until we would load for our one hour train ride.  


	2. Chapter 2

We arrived in Glasgow just as most of the shops and cafes were opening for business.  Since we had just had breakfast, though, we didn’t join the morning crowd. Instead, we walked down the streets and past a bunch of little shops.  We were headed to a little park we had discovered on our last trip here and even though it was nearly an hour away on foot, we still wanted to walk there.  It was nice looking at all the little businesses and I enjoyed the walk. 

“Wanda?”  Vision asked, looking down at me.  I glanced up at him in reply and he looked back up.  “Have you ever thought about college? I know it is a common thing, but I have never heard you talk about it.”  I just smiled and looked at the ground briefly. 

“I have,”  I admitted.  We turned the corner and continued down the street towards the park.  “I have wondered what it would be like, but I do not really wish to go.”  Vision looked confused so I explained. “I was never the best at school and even if I wanted to go, most colleges would not accept me anymore.  I could never apply without being turned over to Ross,” I said. The thought of being returned to the Raft sent a chill through me and I pulled myself closer to Vision.  He noticed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. 

“Perhaps college is not suited for everyone,”  Vision said. I nodded, wrapping my arm around his waist.  The rest of our walk was filled with outward silence and telepathic speaking.  I wasn’t sure who all could be listening to us, but I also enjoyed Vision’s constant presence in my mind when we spoke telepathically.  

* * *

We should have expected it to rain, but we hadn’t.  Thankfully, it waited until early afternoon to begin sprinkling, but it wasn’t long before the sprinkling became a shower and continued for long enough Vision and I decided to go inside.  We had tried waiting it out in the park, hiding under a tree to try and stay dry, but the tree wasn’t much help. We were both soaked as we stepped into a nearby cafe to warm up. 

“Would you like something, Vizh?”  I asked, tossing my soaked hair in a bun.  Vision didn’t reply verbally, but he did speak to me in my mind.  

_ A green tea would be nice, _  he said.  I smiled and nodded, walking up to the register and ordering two green teas then returning to Vision who had happily claimed a table in the back corner of the cafe.  We always sat in the back, avoiding areas people would be likely to look and recognize us on the off chance they did. 

I slid onto the booth beside Vision.  He had the wonderful ability to become a heater when necessary and as soon as I had tucked up beside him, he began to heat up.  I smiled as I laid against him, tucking my feet up under me and laying my head on his shoulder. Vision had found a book on the small bookshelf and had opened it right up, more than happy to fill his time with reading while I watched the rain pound outside.  

We stayed in the cafe for a couple hours.  Vision finished his book within the first hour and a half and I had been surprised to discover I had fallen asleep.  Vision heated up my tea that had gone cold during my nap and I happily finished it. 

“Should we return home?”  Vision asked. I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and nodded.  It was nearly 4 in the afternoon and if we were to walk back to the train station, we would get home around 6.  

“Maybe we should take a taxi,”  I suggested, looking outside where it was still raining.  It wasn’t nearly as hard as it had been earlier, but I didn’t feel like walking for an hour in the rain.  

Vision agreed so we cleaned up our table and walked out of the cafe.  Only a few people had entered the cafe since we had, but only one person remained when we left.  As we walked out the door, I noticed the man stand and walk out as well. Vision and I stood under the eaves, out of the rain and waiting for a taxi.  The man from inside did the same. I resisted the urge to peer into his mind to see if he was following us, but did not. I was just paranoid. 

Vision and I waved at a taxi as it appeared.  It pulled beside the curb and we climbed in, telling the driver to take us to the train station we had come from.  It was only a fifteen minute drive and soon we were back at the station. Vision paid the driver then we hurried inside to buy our return tickets.  Fortunately, we were in time for the next train and it would be arriving in about three minutes. If we had missed it, it would have been another two hours or so.  

We loaded the train when it arrived, claiming seats towards the back of the car.  Not many people were on board, but that didn’t bother us. We prefered an empty car to a full one.  

_ I was thinking of making fried cheese sandwiches, _  Vision told me telepathically.  I smiled. He could never get the name right no matter how often I had corrected him.  

_ Grilled cheese, _  I corrected.  He grinned slightly, but I knew he knew I was kidding.   _ That sounds wonderful _ .  Vision seemed satisfied with my answer as he smiled and looked out the train car window.  


	3. Chapter 3

_ Vision’s POV _

We arrived home at precisely 5:24 in the evening.  I pulled the house key from my pocket to unlock the door, but found it locked.  Wanda frowned as she pushed it open and I followed her inside. 

“Did you forget to lock it this morning?”  she asked. I scanned my memories, but could not recall locking the front door as we left.  

“Yes, I seem to have not done that,”  I said slowly. It was odd of me to forget.  I was supposed to remember everything. Maybe I was becoming more human.  Forgetting to do things was a common human trait, I was certain. “It does not seem that anyone broke in, though.”  The house was exactly as it had been when we left. Wanda seemed to relax at that and shrugged. 

“I’m going to change,”  she said. I nodded and shut the front door as we both walked all the way inside.  

I immediately went into the kitchen to begin making the grilled cheese sandwiches while Wanda disappeared into the bedroom.  She entered the kitchen five minutes later and immediately went to the medicine cabinet. I frowned as she searched for something.  Surely the rain had not caused her to get sick. I thought heating her back up after getting wet would prevent any chances of her getting a cold.  

“What’s wrong?”  I asked. She grabbed the medicine she needed and I realized it wasn’t cold medicine, but ibuprofen.  I happened to know it was not her time of the month and became even more trouble as to what could be wrong.  

“Nothing,”  she dismissed, returning the bottle to the cabinet and getting a glass of water.  “I just have a headache.” She tossed two pills into her mouth and downed them with water.  “How is dinner coming along?” she asked, peering over my shoulder into the frying pan. I had two sandwiches cooking, but they were only halfway done.  

“It will be at least another six minutes,”  I told her. “It will take four to brown the other side and possibly two minutes for them to cool down so you will not burn your mouth.”  Wanda smiled and kissed my cheek before walking out of the kitchen. 

Just as I had predicted, six minutes later the sandwiches were perfect and I went to go find Wanda.  She was in the bedroom, laying on the bed and rubbing her temples. I recognized it as a sign of pain and walked over to the bed.  

“Are you sure you’re okay?”  I asked. She sat up and nodded.  

“I’m just tired,”  she answered. I held out my hand to help her up and she took it.  I led her into the kitchen and she sat down in front of her grilled cheese sandwich.  The entire time we ate, Wanda didn’t say anything. I could tell something was bothering her, but I couldn’t pick up on anything other than the headache she had previously mentioned.  Perhaps she was getting sick. Lack of sleep and exposure to rain would cause her immune system to go down which could make her sick. 

When we had both finished dinner, I took her plate to the sink to wash it.  She didn’t get up right away, staring at the table blankly. I put the plates in the sink then returned to her, holding out my hand for her to take.  She slowly turned to look at me with confusion evident on her face. 

“Go to bed,”  I told her, pulling her to her feet.  She stumbled only a little and my concern grew.  “I fear you are getting sick.” She gave a small smile and I kissed her briefly.  “I will clean the dishes then join you,” I promised. She nodded and I watched her walk off into the bedroom.  

I hurried to wash the dishes.  I usually enjoyed taking my time and washing each plate until it was perfectly clean, but tonight I hurried through them.  I made sure each was still perfectly clean, I just moved quickly and finished them in seven minutes. I dried my hands once I was finished, leaving the dishes out to dry instead of hand drying them, then turned off the kitchen and dining room lights.  I flicked off the light in the living room and walked into the bedroom. 

Wanda was laying on the bed, already changed into her pajama shorts and long sleeved shirt.  The lamp was the only light on and she had her arm draped over her eyes to block out the light.  I changed quickly then climbed onto the bed beside her. I turned off the lamp then turned on my side to look at Wanda.  She shifted so she could curl up beside me and I pulled the cover up to her shoulders. She didn’t say anything and I didn’t either.  I wondered if she would be able to fall asleep faster because she was getting sick or if her headache would prevent her from sleeping.  After an hour, though, she was fast asleep and I was left to either sleep myself or remain awake. 


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, I awoke to sunlight streaming into the room.  I had decided to sleep after making sure Wanda would not wake up.  Even though I didn’t need sleep, I found myself sleeping more and more because it made me feel human and I liked how being human felt.  Usually, I would wake myself up around 7 in the morning, but I knew today I had been asleep longer. When I checked the time, I was surprised to discover it was well past 8, nearly 9 in the morning.  

Wanda should have been up by now, but she was still fast asleep.  She rarely ever slept past 8 even when we agreed to sleep in. After checking her vitals, though, I discovered she was nowhere near waking up.  I knew if I moved, I would probably wake her, so I remained where I was, Wanda’s head on my chest and my arm wrapped around her.

At 9 o’clock, I got up.  It was no longer dark out, so I knew Wanda would not panic when she woke up.  Besides, I would be in the kitchen and she would be able to find me easily. I climbed out of bed and grabbed some clothes to change into.  I got dressed, checked on Wanda again, then walked out to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Just as I knew would happen, Wanda woke up five minutes after I had left.  She walked into the kitchen still in her pajamas and looking like she had just rolled out of bed.  She immediately walked towards the medicine cabinet and grabbed more ibuprofen.

“What’s for breakfast?”  she asked. She took the medicine then searched the fridge for orange juice.  

“I decided to try oatmeal again,”  I answered. She pulled the orange juice from the fridge and filled up the glass she had previously used for water.  “So far, it is going well.” The last time I had tried oatmeal had not gone very well. I had gotten the proportions all wrong and only after I had finished making it had I remembered Wanda was allergic to raisins.  

“No raisins this time?”  she asked. I confirmed I had not put raisins in it and she grinned.  “Then it should be perfect.” She left the kitchen, probably to shower and change, and I returned my focus to the oatmeal.  

* * *

The whole day, Wanda had a headache.  I refused to let her outside to even go get the mail, telling her she should stay in bed and rest in order to prevent getting even worse.  She pretended to be upset, but I knew she was perfectly content to lay in bed. She took multiple naps and I spent the day either reading or doing various little chores around the house.  

“Vizh?”  I looked up from where I had been organizing the bookshelf to see Wanda standing near the couch.  I could tell something was wrong just by looking at her and stood up. I walked over to her and put my hands on her shoulders, her hands immediately moved to hold onto my elbows as she looked up at me.  

“What’s wrong?”  I asked. She looked around the room, but didn’t reply right away.  I moved my hand up to cup her cheek and pulled her focus back on me.  “Wanda, what’s wrong?” I repeated. Her eyes widened when she realized I was right in front of her, but she didn’t step back.  

“I-I don’t know,”  she said quietly. She looked up at me urgently.  “Something is wrong, I can feel it, but I don’t know what.”  

“What does it feel like?”  I asked, rubbing her cheek with my thumb.  Her hand went to my wrist and I stopped rubbing, but kept my hand on her cheek.  

“There’s no way to describe it other than wrong,”  she answered. I frowned. Wanda was usually very in touch with what was going on around her.  She always had a description for what something felt like more than just ‘wrong’.

“Maybe you’re just getting sick,”  I suggested. She shook her head then grimaced, reaching up to grip her temples.  “Is it your head?” I asked, pulling her hands back. She had her eyes scrunched tightly shut and was obviously in pain.  “Wanda?” I asked. She quickly covered my mouth with one of her hands and used the other to tightly grip my shirt, holding herself upright.  I grabbed her, keeping her upright and not speaking.

“It hurts,”  she said, barely audible.  I knew she usually didn’t like it, but I scanned her to make sure everything was alright.  All that showed up was severe pain in her head. What was causing it, I didn’t know.

Wanda’s knees buckled and if I hadn’t already been holding onto her, she would have collapsed completely.  I carefully picked her up and carried her to the couch. She cried out in pain, clutching at her head again and squeezing her eyes in pain.  I could do nothing but watch as she curled into her herself, obviously in pain.


	5. Chapter 5

After nearly fifteen minutes, she slowly uncurled and opened her eyes.  She instantly reached for me and I grabbed her hand. I knew her head still hurt, but most of the pain had died away based on the look of relief on her face.  

“What happened?”  I whispered, not wanting to talk too loud and cause her more pain.  

“Everything got too loud,”  she told me, sitting up. She patted the couch beside her and I sat down beside her.  She immediately tucked herself under my arm and curled up close. “It was like this high pitched sound running through my head.  It was loud and every little noise I wouldn’t normally hear was enhanced. I don’t know what happened,” she muttered, pulling herself closer to me.  I wrapped my arm around her back and kissed the top of her head. 

“I was worried,”  I said, still whispering as quiet as possible.  “Your breathing was irregular and you were so obviously in pain.  I don’t think I like that,” I told her. She grinned just a bit and closed her eyes.  “Why do you think I couldn’t hear it?” I asked. Wanda thought for a moment then answered, her eyes still closed.  

“I don’t know,”  she replied. She shifted slightly and I readjusted my arm around her.  “It was like what they did on the Raft,” she murmured. “No one else could hear it, but it would knock me unconscious.  It was how they controlled me.” She said it all quietly, like she was telling me goodnight as she drifted off to sleep. “It felt just like that.”  With that, she passed out. I suddenly became worried. Maybe Ross had discovered where she was at and had brought his technology to take her out. But if he knew she was here, he would know I was here too and he could not defeat me.  

I nudged Wanda, trying to wake her up and get more information.  Surely if I mentioned my concerns to her, she could tell me whether or not it was possible.  However, she would not awaken when I shook her. I shook her harder, but she didn’t even flutter her eyelids.  

“Wanda?”  I asked, speaking at a normal volume.  No movement. “Wanda?” I repeated her name, louder and louder each time, but she didn’t move.  I didn’t have to look out the window to know the cars headed this way were going to stop here. 

I gathered Wanda in my arms and hurried to the back door.  I kicked it open then shot into the air with Wanda tightly in my arms.  I looked down at our small house and recognized General Ross stepping out of one of the cars.  None of them seemed to have noticed me and Wanda in the sky, so I quickly turned and flew as fast as possible back to the Avengers Tower.  The compound was heavily watched by Ross’s men on video cameras and to show up there would be suicide. 

Mr. Stark would be able to help her.  He had stopped staying in the compound after making friends with that teenage boy in Queens, so I knew he would be in the tower waiting for the kid to come visit.  Hopefully he would be able to figure out something to wake Wanda back up. 

I dropped onto the landing pad and walked into the top of the tower.  FRIDAY greeted me, but I didn’t reply. I knew where Mr. Stark’s lab was, so I hurried down the stairs with Wanda and pounded on the lab door.  Mr. Stark looked up from what he was working on and yelled for FRIDAY to turn off his music and open the door. He met me halfway between his desk and the doorway.  

“What happened?”  he asked. He didn’t seem surprised to see me with Wanda, but I knew he had been suspicious as to where I regularly went for weeks at a time.  

I told him everything that had happened in the past 24 hours.  How we had gone to Glasgow and returned home to our house unlocked, how Wanda had gotten a headache and slept abnormally long, and how she had been reminded of what they had done to her on the Raft after having experienced the big attack right before passing out.  Mr. Stark listened carefully as he attached various wires to keep track of her vitals. I stumbled over my words, beginning to panic more the longer I thought about it. Ross had found her. Somehow, he had tracked her to Edinburgh, known what house she was in, and planted something advanced enough to knock her unconscious.  He must not have known I was there, though. Even if he had been watching her for months, my arrival would have been unexpected as I had stayed longer than normal. 

“Alright,”  Mr. Stark said, pulling up files from his computer.  He scanned through multiple different folders then pulled the one he wanted and brought up to a larger scale hologram.  

“Can you help her?”  I asked. Mr. Stark pursed his lips but nodded.  

“Yes,”  he answered.  “In fact, I know exactly what she was exposed to.”  He tapped on something on the hologram and a different file appeared.  He immediately began looking around his lab and gathering up different tools and supplies.  

“Was she inject with something when I wasn't around?”  I asked. Mr. Stark shook his head and told FRIDAY to open up the previous file by me.  A small device and blueprints appeared, distracting me from watching him work. 

“It’s a special type of device I created years ago,”  Mr. Stark explained. He had created it? Before I could ask, he continued.  “When we first learned about enhanced peoples, I was able to get my hands on top secret SHIELD files and figure out different ways to stop each kind of enhanced.  I built this particularly for Wanda after she had first attacked us. I never disposed of the files, even after she had proven to be on our side, and only recently discovered someone else had accessed them.”  I frowned. As far as I was aware, he had stopped making weapons nearly a decade ago. Why would he make one for people like Wanda? “I assumed it was just Bruce, but apparently Ross got them.” 

“How?”  I demanded.  He looked up from where he was hastily putting something together that looked an awful lot like the small device I was looking at, but larger.  

“Break in at Stark Industries,”  Mr. Stark said briefly. “Look, I know I messed up.  I never wanted this to be used on Wanda and if I had known Ross had used it on the Raft, I would have personally sunk that island.  Now that I do know…” he shrugged and looked up at me. “I guess we know what I’ll be doing tonight.” 


	6. Chapter 6

Mr. Stark finished his device after two hours of work.  I wasn’t surprised it didn’t take him that long. He’d already had the plans all drawn up and known the blueprints by heart.  All he needed to do was put it together. When he was done, he turned to Wanda and me, holding out the device. 

“She won’t like this,”  he warned. “It’s going to be painful for her, but once she wakes up, the pain will stop.  It counteracts what the other one did. It will activate areas of the brain that were deactivated by the previous device.”  I nodded and watched as he put the small electronic near Wanda’s head and pushed a button. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, Wanda’s hands shot towards her head and Mr. Stark pulled the device away.  He motioned to me that he would be leaving now, something we had agreed upon earlier. If Wanda woke up and the first thing she saw was Mr. Stark, she would probably panic. 

“Wanda?”  I asked, pulling her hands away from her head.  She looked at me then around the room in confusion.  It didn’t take long before she recognized the lab and her eyes widened.  She tried to pull away from me, but I held onto her wrists tightly. “Listen, let me explain.”  

“Why am I at Stark’s?”  she hissed, glaring at me.  I was shocked at how upset she seemed.  I knew she didn’t like Mr. Stark, but right now she looked furious.  The only thing was, her anger was directed at me. “Why did you bring me back to Tony Stark?”  she demanded. Oh. She thought I had turned against her and brought her back to Mr. Stark who would turn her in to General Ross.  

“Wanda, let me explain,”  I repeated. Her glare didn’t go away.  “General Ross discovered your location in Edinburgh.  He planted a device in the house while we were in Glasgow that would render you unconscious just like on the Raft.  I brought you back to Mr. Stark and he was able to counteract whatever Ross did to you.” Her glare slowly disappeared and she looked around the room again.  “I would never turn you back over to Ross and the Raft,” I promised softly. She nodded and pulled her hair back over her shoulder. 

“I’m sorry,”  she said. “I don’t want to think you ever would, but I can’t go back.  I no longer know who to trust and I just can’t go back.” I nodded and hugged her.  

“I know,”  I whispered.  Her arms wrapped around me as she sat up to hug me back.  “Mr. Stark is here,” I told her as we pulled away. “He helped us get you out and he will do everything to prevent you from returning.  I believe he even said something about going to destroy it.” 

“What happened?”  she asked. I began to explain again how I had brought her to Mr. Stark to get help, but she interrupted me.  “No, in Edinburgh. What happened there?” 

“You said something about how they would do something similar to you on the Raft as you were falling asleep,”  I told her. “It worried me when I could not wake you up and I brought you here.” She pulled her feet over the edge of the table and moved to stand up, but I kept her down, not knowing if something bad would happen or not. “Mr. Stark needs to check to make sure you are alright,”  I told her. She sighed and looked towards the lab door. 

“You do it,”  she said. I tilted my head to the right in confusion.  “I do not yet trust Stark. If you want to make sure I am alright, you can scan me.”  I did, finding nothing out of order, and she stood up. “How long are we here for?” 

“We cannot return to Edinburgh,”  I said. She asked why and I told her how General Ross must have been following her routine and watching when I would come and go in order to catch her at the right time.  “We threw him off when I stayed longer, but he knows now and we cannot go back.” 

The sound of the lab door opening drew both of our attentions to Mr. Stark as he walked into the lab.  He smiled shortly at me and Wanda, glancing down at his phone then up at Wanda. 

“How are you feeling, Wonder Witch?”  he asked. Wanda ignored the nickname as usual and shrugged.  

“I am more worried than in pain,”  she answered. Mr. Stark nodded and began cleaning up the area Wanda had been laying, throwing away the extra scraps of material from his hurry to help Wanda.  “Thank you, Stark.” I could tell she didn’t want to say it. I smiled at her and to our surprise, Mr. Stark genuinely smiled back. 

“Good to see you again,”  he replied. He glanced up at me then between the both of us as he said, “I have to go get Pete from the bus stop,”  he told me. I knew Peter. He came by every other day after school and stayed weekends at the tower with Mr. Stark. “I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.  Try not to ruin my tower by then.” 

“Yes, sir,”  I nodded. He nodded back and walked out of the lab, leaving Wanda and I alone in the lab.  


	7. Chapter 7

_ Wanda’s POV _

“Who’s Pete?”  I asked, following Vision out of the lab and into the main living room.  Tony’s floor was quite a bit nicer than the compound and ever since the creation of the compound, Tony had used the other floors of the tower for other things.  The one directly below him was fitted specifically for visitors, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we were told to spend the night downstairs. 

“Do you remember the little red, spider-man from the airport?”  Vision asked. Bringing up the airport fight was touchy, we typically avoided talking about it, but I nodded nonetheless.  “The kid inside has sort of been adopted by Mr. Stark. He lives in Queens, but comes to the tower over the weekends and sometimes during the school week.”  I nodded, surprised to hear Tony had a sort-of-son. I knew he had been maturing before the fight and I guess he had finally matured to that of a full adult.  

“Is he staying here tonight?”  I asked. I didn’t mind having a kid stay over, but I didn’t want him to accidentally reveal my location.  If Ross found out I was in the tower, everyone inside would be at risk. 

“No, I believe he is only staying for a couple hours,”  Vision answered. He glanced back at me as we walked into the elevator.  “We will remain downstairs until he leaves.” 

“Good,”  I replied.  We rode the elevator down one floor and got out on the guest floor.  It was set up differently than Tony’s floor, but was just as big. It had more bedrooms, but Vision and I were likely going to stay in the same one.  “What do you think of breakfast for dinner?” I asked, looking at the clock hanging in the kitchen as we walked into it. Vision nodded. I knew he enjoyed breakfast more than any other meal.  Something about breakfast was comforting and so we would often have pancakes or such for dinner instead of a regular meal. 

“Do you have another location we can leave for in the morning?”  Vision asked. He sat at the counter as I walked over to grab the recipe book from beside the fridge.  I flipped through, looking for a particular recipe and leaving it open when I found what I was looking for.  

“Do you think it would be too dangerous to return to Sokovia?”  I replied, looking up from the recipe to him. Vision thought for a moment then shook his head with a smile.  

“I do not think it would be dangerous,”  he told me. I grinned and turned to grab measuring cups from the drawer behind me.  “General Ross would likely believe you would avoid your mother country because of what happened there.”  My smile disappeared, but my back was to Vision so he couldn’t tell. 

“Then we will return to Sokovia,”  I said, grabbing the rest of the ingredients I would need to make Monkey Bread Muffins.  

* * *

I woke up in a sweat in the middle of the night.  My eyes snapped awake as I breathed heavily and sat upright in the bed.  Vision woke up immediately but didn’t reach out for me right away. I continued to shake and stood up to get away from the blankets that trapped me.  Vision stood up but waited for me to turn and reach for him first. He knew better than to hold me immediately after; it often caused more panic. 

I began to sob as Vision hugged me.  I folded my arms up between us and his arms went around my back, pulling me as close to him as possible.  I shook as I cried and felt Vision place one hand on the back of my head, trying to calm me down. He kissed the side of my head once then pulled back just enough so that he could kiss right under my eye where tears streamed.  

“Tell me what it was about,”  he whispered, gently running his hand through my hair.  I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tighter. I felt him kiss the top of my head.  “Wanda?” I shook my head, burying my face in his chest to avoid telling him my nightmare. “Would it be best if I looked myself?”  he asked. I shook my head again. I wouldn’t have to relive it if he did, but I didn’t want him to look himself either. “Do you not want me to know?”  I gasped for air, taking a shaky breath and clutching him even tighter in response. “Why not?” he asked, rubbing my back gently. 

“You would not like it,”  I told him, pulling back and facing him.  His hands went to my face and he softly rubbed my cheek with his thumb.  

“Is it from the Raft?”  he asked softly. When I looked away, he got his answer.  He lifted my chin and kissed me briefly. “I only wish to know so that I may understand,”  he told me. I pulled one of his hands from my face and laced my fingers through his. I knew I would have to tell him eventually and now that Ross was chasing us, I knew it was important to tell him just why I couldn’t return.  

“I will go with you,”  I told him, looking up and meeting his eyes.  He nodded and squeezed my hand gently. I closed my eyes and as soon as I felt him enter my mind, I pulled him into the part of my mind I hid my memories from the Raft.  


	8. Remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is entirely in italics because it will go through multiple (hypothetical that I made up) memories Wanda has from her time on the Raft. Because it was canonically very abusive towards her, this chapter will most likely contain triggers for abuse whether verbal, mental, or physical. I will provide a short summary without triggers at the beginning of next chapter so you don't feel like you missed a big part of the story if you feel as if you should skip this chapter. I will try to keep triggers down, but I will also try to show how awful the Raft (probably) was for Wanda. I hope if you do have triggers on this topic that you are now in a safe environment and if you aren't yet, that you will continue to be strong and find a way out of whatever is hurting you. Please don't try and read this chapter to "prove to yourself you're healing". Please only read it if you are 110% sure it will not affect you.

_Wanda sat_ _at the back of the plane.  They had just been picked up by Ross and his men from the airport and taken captive.  The men surrounding her hadn’t thought twice before putting a shock collar and a straight jacket on her.  Guns were trained on her as six men surrounded her. Wanda didn’t dare move, refusing to make eye contact with any of them and make them think she was attacking them.  The others in the group sat on the opposite wall, just in handcuffs and tied down. They weren’t as much of a threat as her._

_The landing was rough.  Wanda was pulled out of the plane first and taken down a different hall than the others.  Clint tried fighting his guards to get to her, but they quickly knocked him unconscious and drug him along with the rest of the team.  Wanda just continued silently down the opposite hall with guns all around her._

_When they arrived in a large room, the guards escorted her to a bench and forced her to sit.  They walked out backwards, keeping their guns on her until the very last second. Wanda didn’t have to wait long for a voice to come on over the room’s speaker._

_“Wanda Maximoff,”  it crackled. Wanda turned to locate it, but felt the shock collar send electricity down her spine.  When the current stopped, the voice continued. “Any movement will be perceived as a threat. That was a warning.  If you move again, we will not go light,” the speaker announced._

_“_ Go to hell _,”  Wanda said in Sokovian.  Another shock came from the collar, but this one was much stronger and caused her whole body to seize and her muscles to cramp painfully.  She cried out in pain only for the electric current to go up. Wanda fell off the bench, screaming loudly as the current increased. Wanda didn’t remember saying or doing anything else, but suddenly the current was vamped up again and she fell unconscious._

_* * *_

_It had been barely three days since they had arrived at the Raft.  Wanda had been taken to a cell along with the rest of the team, but they were free to talk and walk around whereas she sat perfectly still in her cell and remained silent.  When she had first woken up, Clint had tried talking to her to make sure she was okay, but when Wanda tried to respond and received a painful shock, both stopped._

_Now, Wanda listened as the boys spoke about trivial things.  She didn’t care for most of the topics, but she listened anyway.  There was nothing else for her to do and she wanted to feel like she could at least pretend to be able to talk to them.  They stopped speaking when the doors the the cell room opened. Wanda didn’t flinch at the sound and refused to turn and look at who had entered.  She could hear footsteps approaching and when they stopped in front of her cell, she began to panic._

_She could see General Ross standing behind his men as the cell door slid open.  Men with guns walked cautiously into the room and grabbed her upper arms, hauling her out of the cell.  When the rest of the team saw her, they began yelling angrily._

_“Let her go, Ross!”  Clint demanded._

_“Leave her be,”  Scott and Sam yelled.  Ross and his men ignored them as they walked towards the door.  Wanda carefully peered into General Ross’s head to find his intentions.  As soon as she realized they were planning to experiment on her, she began to fight back._

_She yanked her arms back, successfully pulling one free.  Men swarmed her and she felt the shock collar go off. She tried to fight them off, but the pain of the shock collar and the straight jacket hindered her greatly.  She saw Ross holding the shock collar remote and felt it as she him up the volts in the collar. He watched her blankly, almost as if she was just a guinea pig and Wanda realized this is exactly what he had wanted.  She stopped abruptly._

_“Good girl,”  Ross told her, patting her head lightly.  Wanda glared at him and he threatened to shock her again.  “Do exactly as we say and you will likely come out less injured,”  he told her. Wanda knew there was no way she would escape the experiments he was about to perform without injury, but she still cooperated as they led her upstairs into the labs.  She didn’t need to be shocked anymore than necessary._

_* * *_

_Wanda awoke in her cell with a terrified jolt.  She tensed, waiting for the shock but none came.  When she relaxed, she did it slowly so no one would detect the movements.  She could barely remember the experiments; they had blurred together into one painful memory.  She knew, thanks to Vision, that it was just her mind’s way of trying to protect her from remembering a traumatic event.  She could remember her brother’s death, though, and worried just how bad all the experiments had been._

_“Wanda?  You’re awake!  Thank goodness!”  Clint exclaimed, pressed up against his cell.  Wanda didn’t move to indicate she had heard him, but he knew.  “You were unconscious for four days after they brought you back.  My word, you looked dead.” Wanda couldn’t see any of the injuries she had, but she could feel them.  She knew bruises were littering her arms and the rest of her body, but she couldn’t remember what had caused them.  A brief image of a man in a lab coat standing over her flashed through her mind, but she couldn’t pinpoint his face and didn’t know what had been happening in the memory._

_All Wanda knew was that she was in pain and her mind refused to work with her.  Clint tried to tell her what had happened, but he didn’t know more than the fact that she had gone out fighting and come back barely breathing and unconscious.  It would be a good two weeks after escaping the Raft that her memories from the first time they had experimented on her cleared up and after that, nightmares plagued her regularly._

_She would awake screaming, lungs burning just as they had on the Raft after being tested on how long she could hold her breath.  She learned that the long cuts on her arms were from scientists cutting them open to look for wiring or any special insert that gave her her powers.  The fear she experienced when she saw something fly towards her made sense when she remembered how they would throw things towards her with all their might, trying to see how fast her reactions were.  Small spaces were avoided after regaining back the memory of them putting cars above her with a crane and dropping them on her to see how much she could hold up. After every experiment, they would knock her unconscious, drag her back to her cell to recover, then return an hour after she woke up for another session.  It was routine and Wanda felt like she was stuck in a time loop with nowhere to go and unable to escape._


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that didn't read the last chapter, it simply told little things that happened in the Raft. She was experimented on and couldn't talk to anyone else because of her shock collar. It didn't show any rescue scene, just memories she tried to forget from her time on the Raft. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

_Wanda’s POV_

I tore my eyes open, panting as I pulled Vision and I out of my memories.  I leaned against him for support, shaking as my mind cleared and I realized I was with Vision in Avengers Tower.  He steadied himself against the wall, breathing heavily as well, then reached for me hastily, checking to make sure I didn’t have bruises or cuts like in my memory.  

“I can’t go back,”  I whispered, barely audible.  Vision nodded and I looked up to see tears trickling down his face.  I reached up and gently brushed them away. “I am okay now. I am here with you.  I am safe,” I assured him. He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled me tightly against his chest.  

“I’m so sorry I left you,”  he said softly. I pushed myself up on my tip toes so I could kiss his cheek.  He subconsciously leaned towards me and I felt his tears hit my neck. “I’m sorry,”  he mutter over and over. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself up on my toes again and hugging him tightly.  

We stayed standing and hugging for a while.  Vision refused to let go of me as he cried and only after his tears had stopped was I able to pull away enough to look up at him.  I could see guilt in his eyes as he looked down at me and I brushed the last few tears off his cheeks, kissing him gently as I stepped back a bit more.  

“Let’s go back to bed,”  I suggested. He nodded and grabbed my hand.  I led him back over to bed and waited for him to lay down first.  I crawled in after him and laid my head on his chest, draping one arm over his chest and tucking the other underneath me.  Vision laced his fingers with mine and ran his other hand through my hair. I sighed as I laid on him, but didn’t close my eyes.  After showing Vision my memories from the Raft, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep without nightmares.

“Are you alright?”  Vision asked after a while.  I nodded as best I could from where I was laying on him.  He stopped running his fingers through my hair for a moment then began again.  “You should sleep,” he said quietly.

“Perhaps,”  I replied. He didn’t say anything else, contenting himself with simply running his fingers through my hair as we both laid on the bed, neither falling asleep.  

* * *

The next morning, Vision and I finished the Monkey Bread Muffins for breakfast then went up a floor to see Tony before we left.  As soon as we stepped out of the elevator, though, we immediately stepped back inside to hide. General Ross and a group of easily a dozen men were standing by Tony.  Unfortunately, the sound of the elevator arriving must have drawn their attention because they stopped talking to Tony and moved to check the elevator. I pounded on the down button, trying to get the doors to shut before they could see us.  

“Whoa!  It’s just Pepper!”  Tony said, trying to draw their attention back to him.  It didn’t work. The doors slid shut just as Ross’s men raised their guns at us.  I tucked into a corner and Vision stood in front of me, but the doors blocked the bullets.  

As soon as the elevator returned to our floor, Vision grabbed my hand and we ran across the living room.  Tony hadn’t put a balcony on any floors other than his, but even if he had, we wouldn’t have had the time.  Ross’s men had taken the stairs and poured into the living room. I covered my head, afraid they would shoot at us before we could escape.  

Vision shot a beam from the mind stone, shattering the living room windows and shooting into the air.  My hand was still tightly in his so I was pulled into the sky with him. Ross’s men raced the the window, raising their guns to shoot at us.  Vision turned sharply, my arm nearly popping out of its socket as he did. I turned as best I could and cast a shield with my hexes to protect us from the bullets.  They bounced off the red and I could hear them shout angrily.

“Hold on,”  Vision warned, surging upwards and away from the tower.  As soon as we were sure Ross’s men could no longer shoot at us, Vision scooped me up in his arms and carried me as he flied.  I wrapped my arm around his neck to stabilize myself but kept a lookout for any sign that Ross could have sent an aircraft or something after us.  

“What about Tony?”  I asked Vision. We had completely forgotten about Tony in our haste to escape.  Surely they wouldn’t let him off the hook now that they knew he was hiding us in his tower.  What would happen to him?

“He is safe,”  Vision answered.  He paused, almost as if he was listening to something, then continued, “He said he had only just recently developed a device to erase short term memory.  General Ross will not remember anything within the past 24 hours, but he will remember discovering the Edinburgh apartment empty.”

“Did he message you?”  I asked. Often Tony would send Vision messages when he needed to get him information that he couldn’t hold in until he next saw Vision.  

“Yes,”  Vision confirmed.  The rest of the flight to Sokovia was silent.  Since we were so high up, Vision acted as a heater to keep me warm.  I had curled as close to him as was safe and he seemed to know exactly where to go, so I let myself fall asleep until we would get there.  

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the next few chapters, the italics in quotation marks "..." represent them speaking in Sokovian. I didn't want to writing 'said in Sokovian' every time, so I just put it in italics.

_Vision’s POV_

Sokovia was cold.  Even if there wasn’t snow on the ground, it was still fall and the leaves were dry and crunchy under our footsteps.  Wanda smiled subconsciously as she looked around. We had landed in the woods to avoid people seeing us, but I think even just the thought of being back in her home country was a nice one.  

“Come,”  she said.  She held out her hand for me to take so I did.  “I know of just the place we can go.”

I followed Wanda down a narrow, gravel road she had quickly located in the woods.  She looked around the forest, deep in thought, as we walked. As we neared the town, she began pointing out little things like where her brother and her would play.  Apparently, their mother only allowed them to go so far into the forest, but they often went a lot farther in.

“That was my father’s bakery,”  she said, pointing to a small store with an ‘open’ sign hanging in the window.  The whole town was very small and run down, but Wanda didn’t seem to notice. “It was turned into a cafe once it was sold after his death.”  She looked a little sad at this, but brightened when she spotted another building.

As we passed through the town, she would tell me about each little place and tell me stories about when her and Pietro were growing up.  Her house was on the far end of the town and she pointed it out as soon as we spotted it. There was smoke coming from the chimney, but she didn’t seem surprised.  In fact, she walked right up to it and knocked loudly on the crooked wooden door.

An older woman answered the door.  She looked surprised to see me, but as soon as she noticed Wanda, tears came to her eyes and she pulled Wanda to her, hugging her tightly and muttering things in Sokovian.  Thankfully, Wanda had taught me Sokovian before the battle in Berlin, so I could understand both of them perfectly.

“ _I_ _thought you were dead,_ ”  the woman said tearfully.  I heard Wanda sniffle and saw her give the old woman a squeeze.  When she pulled away, she kept one arm partially around the woman and reached for my hand with the other.  

“ _We need a place to stay, Auntie Inna,_ ”  Wanda told her quietly.  The woman, Inna, opened the door wider and ushered us into the small house.  We were in the dining room area as soon as we stepped in and if I were to take three steps to the right, I would be in the kitchen.  Everything was small and cramped, but I felt oddly comfortable in the warm home.

“ _And who is this, Wanda_?”  Inna asked, motioning towards me.  Wanda looked at me, telepathically telling me to introduce myself, but with a different name.  We often used fake names when introducing ourselves to other people in Edinburgh to prevent Ross from tracing us, so I didn’t have to think up a new name.  

“ _I am Edwin,_ ”  I told her in Sokovian.  She looked surprised to hear me speak her language, but quickly smiled and reached for my hand, patting it happily.  

“ _It’s wonderful to meet you, Edwin,_ ”  she grinned.  She reached for Wanda’s hand and smiled from one of us to the other.  Wanda gave her a soft smile. “ _I’m so glad Wanda has finally found someone_ .”  Wanda blushed as Inna turned into the kitchen, leaving me and Wanda three steps away in the dining room.  She glanced back at us and waved her arms towards the four chairs around the table. “ _Please, sit, sit!  I am just finishing up paprikash for your Uncle Dmitri._ ”  Wanda took a seat at the table and I sat beside her.  

“ _Auntie Inna, how have things been for you?_ ”  Wanda asked.  

“ _Oh, just the usual,_ ”  Inna answered, bustling around the kitchen and pulling out two more bowls and spoons for me and Wanda.  " _Riots and government interference.  How have you and Pietro been? Where is he?  Has he decided not to come visit his dear Auntie Inna?_ ”  Inna seemed unaware of the sudden gloom that filled the room.  I saw Wanda’s face droop just slightly and she reached for my hand.  I grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“ _Auntie Inna,_ ”  Wanda hesitated and Inna turned to face her.  When she saw Wanda’s face, she must have detected something was wrong.  She set down her dishes and faced Wanda as she said, “ _Pietro died.  About three years ago, actually._ ”  Inna gasped, a hand flying to her mouth as she took in the news.  Wanda stood up and walked over to her aunt, trying to comfort her.  Even though it had been three years since Pietro's death, Wanda still got upset thinking about it.  

“ _H-How?_ ”  Inna asked.  Wanda told her they had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time.  She said they had been at a riot and police had shown up, shooting Pietro and many others.  She didn’t mention Ultron or the falling city and I wondered if her Aunt knew about Hydra’s experimenting on them.  

Inna wiped her eyes and grabbed Wanda’s shoulder, sniffling and tucking a strand of brown hair behind Wanda’s ear.  I heard Wanda sniffle and Inna brushed her cheeks. Realizing Wanda was crying, I felt my heart drop and resisted the urge to go take her from Inna and comfort her myself.  

“ _Well, I hope something good came out of it,_ ”  Inna said, sniffling again.  Wanda nodded and hugged Inna again.  

When the sound of the door being jiggled became the sound of the door being opened, both Inna and Wanda pulled apart to look at who had entered.  A skinny old man walked in the door, pulling off his jacket full of holes and patches. He tugged off his hat to reveal grey hair that was slowly falling out then turned to face Inna and Wanda.  

“ _Look who came to visit, Dmitri,_ ”  Inna said, pushing Wanda towards the old man, Dmitri.  As soon as Dmitri saw Wanda, his face lit up and he stumbled forward to hug Wanda.  She grinned as she hugged him back. When he pulled away, he spotted me. “ _That’s Edwin.  He came with Wanda._ ”  Dmitri nodded and smiled warmly at me, showing off his mouth with missing and brown teeth.  

“ _Uncle Dmitri, Edwin and I are staying for a while,_ ”  Wanda told him loudly.  Dmitri nodded and stepped forward, extending his hand.  I shook it, smiling back at his happy grin. He turned and hugged Wanda again and she giggled as he swayed back and forth.  

“ _Come, dear, you must be starved,_ ”  Inna said.  Dmitri nodded and followed Wanda back to the table.  He took a seat at the head of the table and Inna carried over the pot of paprikash.  Wanda carried the dishes and utensils, setting them in front of everyone then sitting back down by me.  “ _I hope you like paprikash, Edwin._ ”  


	11. Chapter 11

_Wanda’s POV_

Vision and I were given the room Pietro and I used to share when we were younger.  There were still two cots tucked against the wall with just enough room between them to walk.  Aunt Inna and Uncle Dmitri had asked Vision multiple questions about himself and Aunt Inna had even asked if we were married.  After an embarrassing explanation that no, we were not married but we lived together, Aunt Inna allowed us to stay in the same bedroom.  

“Your Uncle, he is nearly deaf?”  Vision asked as I shut the door to our room.  I nodded and explained how Uncle Dmitri had been too close to a mine bomb and his earlobes had ruptured.  They had never fully healed and now he was nearly deaf. “Did they raise you? After your parents…” he trailed off, but I knew what he meant.  

“Yes,”  I answered, sitting down on my old bed.  Aunt Inna had left many quilts at the foot of the bed for us and I realized the mattress had recently been restuffed.  “After our parents died, my Aunt and Uncle took us in. We were never rich, but they were good to us.”

“I can tell,”  Vision replied.  He sat beside me on my cot and reached for my hand.  “They care for you like I am told parents would.” I smiled and laid my head on Vision’s shoulder, closing my eyes.  

“We cannot stay here,”  I told him after a while.  Vision wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head.  “It will endanger them and I cannot lose more family. We have to leave.”

“Alright,”  Vision agreed softly.  I leaned closer to him and he rubbed my arm comfortingly.  “For now, though, you should sleep.” I nodded and pulled away from Vision to lay on my cot.  The absence of another presence, though, kept me awake. I had gotten so used to having Vision lay with me and before that, Pietro would lay with me.  

“Vizh?”  I whispered.  I knew he was still awake.  He never slept until I was asleep.  

“Yes, Wanda?”  

“I can’t sleep,”  I told him. He seemed to know what I meant and I heard him get off his cot.  I saw his dark form stand and move towards me. He climbed on the cot, laying down beside me and the wall and wrapping his arms around my waist.  

“Is this better?”  he asked quietly. I hugged the arm he had around me and nodded.  

“Much.”  

* * *

In the morning, I got up early to help Aunt Inna cook breakfast.  I told Vision to remain in the room until I came back to get him. Aunt Inna would be confused if he didn’t sleep until I woke him, so he agreed to remain in the bedroom while I went out to help Aunt Inna make oatmeal and toast.  

“ _How long are you and Edwin staying?_ ”  Aunt Inna asked.  I stirred the oatmeal as she cut the toast and took it over the the fireplace.  

“ _Not long, I’m afraid,_ ”  I answered.  Aunt Inna was visibly disappointed and I felt bad about leaving so soon.  I hadn’t seen her since before Hydra and now I couldn’t even safely visit her.  “ _I wish we could stay longer, but I’m afraid we cannot._ ”  

“ _Well, I wish you wouldn’t rush off,_ ”  Aunt Inna said.  I sighed and pounded the wooden spoon on the side of the oatmeal dish.  “ _How long do you think you’ll stay?_ ”  she asked.  I turned off the stove and put the oatmeal on a hot pad on the table.  

“ _Perhaps a couple more days,_ ”  I answered.  She nodded and pulled the toast out of the fire.  “ _I’ll go wake up the boys._ ”  I walked into Uncle Dmitri’s room first and gently shook him.  He grunted as he rolled over and I smiled at him. He smiled back, so I turned to go get Vision.  

I knocked gently on the bedroom door then slowly peered into the room.  Vision was laying on his cot with his eyes shut. When I sat on the cot beside him, his eyes snapped open and he smiled when he saw me.  He sat up and I quickly kissed him.

“Time to eat,”  I told him. He nodded and followed me out of the room and into the dining room.  We sat down in the same places as the night before and waited for Uncle Dmitri to join us.  He came out a few minutes later and sat down at the head of the table, so we began eating.

* * *

Uncle Dmitri insisted that Vision joined him at the mines for the day to see how things worked.  Vision seemed very apprehensive about it, but after a little encouraging from me, he agreed to go with my Uncle for the day.  That left me and Aunt Inna alone until lunch.

I went with Aunt Inna to the marketplace to get vegetables for lunch.  We ended up staying longer than necessary and I came home with a new shawl.  I felt bad when Aunt Inna paid for it, but I didn’t have anything other than a few American dollars that would be worth nothing here.  I promised I would pay her back; send her the money in the mail of something, but she brushed it off and told me not to worry.

When Uncle Dmitri and Vision returned for lunch, Uncle Dmitri told us all about how Vision had saved one of the worker from getting crushed.  A rock had been about to collapse and somehow Vision foresaw it and pulled the man away before the rock could crush him. I knew Vision had probably run diagnostics on the mining tunnel the whole time and probably knew well before the rock fell that it would fall soon.  

They returned to the mines after lunch and Aunt Inna and I were yet again alone.  Aunt Inna did laundry while I chopped firewood. Usually, Pietro or Uncle Dmitri would chop the wood, but I knew Uncle Dmitri was getting old and swinging an axe probably wouldn’t make his stiffness any better.  When I came into the house carrying a pile of firewood, Aunt Inna looked surprised.

“ _You did not need to do that,_ ”  she said.  I just smiled and returned outside to finish chopping as much wood as possible before Vision and Uncle Dmitri returned.  


	12. Chapter 12

The next day was very similar to the previous one, but Vision and Uncle Dmitri stayed after lunch.  Aunt Inna and Uncle Dmitri both said they had a surprise for Vision and I, but we would have to wait until dinner.  When they disappeared about two hours before dinner, Vision and I wondered just what they were up to.

Aunt Inna was always good with surprises.  When Pietro and I were younger, she would disappear for hours and return with a dress for me and a new jacket for Pietro.  She always knew what we seemed to want or what we would enjoy. It wasn’t uncommon for both her and Uncle Dmitri to leave to get a surprise, I just figured that now that I was grown, she would stop with the surprises.  

“ _Wanda?  We’re back!_ ”  Aunt Inna exclaimed, walking into the room with Uncle Dmitri behind her.  Neither of them had visible packages, though, so I wondered how big the surprise was.  I was really hoping they hadn’t gotten us a ring, a sign the family accepted the engagement between two people.  That would be embarrassing to explain to both ends of the spectrum.

“ _Good, I was beginning to worry,_ ”  I said.  I pulled the bread out of the fire and place it on the table with hot pads.  Vision set the stew on the table and pulled out a chair for Aunt Inna.

“ _You are too nice, Edwin,_ ”  Aunt Inna gushed, sitting down beside Uncle Dmitri.  Vision and I sat on the other side of the table and dished out stew while Aunt Inna cut and passed the bread.  

“ _What did you bring us, Auntie Inna?_ ”  I asked.  Aunt Inna shook her finger at me with a smile and I blushed.  I had never been good about hiding my excitement about her surprises.  

“ _Now just you wait, young one,_ ”  Aunt Inna told me.  “ _You will love it._ ”  I took her word for it and started eating dinner.  

About halfway through dinner, a loud knocking came from the front door.  On instinct, I reached for Vision’s hand and he reached for mine. Aunt Inna stood from the table with a big smile and went to answer the door.  I furrowed my brow in confusion, watching as she walked towards the door then turned to smile at Vision and I. Uncle Dmitri looked equally happy, giving us a toothless grin.  

“ _I heard you were in trouble and found someone to help keep you safe,_ ”  Aunt Inna explained.  My heart stopped and my body went numb.  Everyone was looking for me, who could she have found that wanted to keep me safe other than the Avengers?  “ _In fact, he came to me a few months ago and said if you were to show up, to contact him and he would keep you safe.  Here is your surprise, my girl!_ ”  Aunt Inna pulled open the door, still smiling happily as General Ross burst in with a dozen men behind him, all carrying guns.  Aunt Inna seemed shocked to see them carrying weapons and even more so when they aimed them all at me and Vision.

“Found you, witch,”  Ross snarled. He motioned for his men to shoot, but Vision leapt in front of me and darts bounced off of him.  Aunt Inna screamed when they started shooting and Uncle Dmitri jumped to get them out of the room.

I summoned my hexes and threw the weapons from their grips.  Ross growled and motioned for his men to attack. I turned and raced out of the back door and Vision followed.  I didn’t want Aunt Inna and Uncle Dmitri’s house destroy, so if they were going to fight us, it would be outside.  

Just as I expected, the group followed after us angrily.  Some had managed to grab their guns again so I grabbed them with my wisps and crushed them in the air.  The men surged forward and I quickly threw them back with my wisps. Vision took on three men while I took on four.  That left five and Ross.

I broke the first one’s neck and threw him into the forest behind Aunt Inna’s house.  I moved on to the others, breaking their necks or forcing their worst fears forward. As I destroyed one man, another would take its place.  I was so focused on the three in front of me, I didn’t know there was another man behind me until he grabbed my wrist and jerked it up behind my shoulder.  I dropped the man who I had been about to kill by snapping his neck and turned to my attacker. The other two, the one I had nearly killed sat out, came running towards me and grabbed me from behind.  I grunted as I tried to fight them, but they had a strong grip on me and I was never good at hand-to-hand combat.

One of the men had a knife I discovered a little too late.  He drew it and drew a long slice from the middle of my forehead to the edge of my left eyebrow.  I screamed and dropped the the ground, providing the men with an opening to grab me again. I couldn’t see anything as blood rushed down the left side of my face and I cried out in pain.  

“Get off!”  Vision yelled, cutting down all the men around me with his mind stone.  They were killed instantly and Vision rushed to my side. The only man left was General Ross who laughed as Vision rushed to me and helped me sit up.

“You will never be safe,”  he chuckled, aiming his gun at us.  Without hesitation, Vision shot a beam at his chest.  Ross’s eyes went wide as he fell backwards, a gaping hole in his chest.  He groaned, shifting slightly on the ground, then went still. I gasped in shock, looking at Ross’s body.  

“We must go,”  Vision said, gently picking me up.  “It is not safe here even with Ross and his men dead.”  He shot off into the sky and the last thing I remember before passing out due to blood loss was Vision promising I would be okay.


	13. Chapter 13

When I first opened my eyes, everything was blurry.  I could barely make out a red blur next to a pale one and a dark one.  My eyesight slowly cleared up and I recognized Vision next to Steve and Sam.  Vision held my hand in his and was talking quietly to Steve and Sam. When I groaned at the pain coming from my head, all three men turned my way.  

“Vizh,”  I muttered, rolling my head to look at him.  That caused more pain and I held back a whimper.  Vision leaned down and gently rested his hand on the back of my head.  “What happened?” I remembered being at Aunt Inna and Uncle Dmitri’s when General Ross came and attacked, but I wasn’t sure if that’s what really happened.  Unfortunately, Vision confirmed it. 

“I brought you to Mr. Rogers and Mr. Wilson to help fix your head,”  Vision explained. Steve and Sam nodded and Vision carefully threaded his fingers through my hair.  “I was worried, but they told me head wounds bleed a lot and I shouldn’t be afraid. You have been asleep for nearly 14 hours.”  

“I feel like death,”  I said, looking at Steve.  He smiled grimly at me and nodded.  I slowly pushed myself into an upright position with Vision’s help.  I didn’t stand, though, not seeing a need to or wanting to test it out.  

“That’s what happens when you take a knife to the head, kid,”  he replied. I gave him a weak smile then turned to face Sam. 

“Glad you’re okay,”  he told me. He glanced at Vision then smirked at me.  “Vision came in near to tears. Between you and me, I think he might have a crush on you.”  I rolled my eyes as Steve chuckled and Vision looked confused. 

“I do not understand,”  Vision said. “We are in a relationship.  I thought it was obvious.” I gave a small laugh. 

“It was a joke, Vizh,”  I clarified. Vision nodded slowly in understanding.  As I remembered the other events from the fight, my smile disappeared.  “You killed Ross,” I whispered. Vision’s smile dropped as well and he nodded.  

“I saw no other solution at the time, but now I see how foolish it was,”  Vision said quietly. He looked down at his hand, mine laced between them.  “Perhaps we could have come to an agreement.” Steve patted Vision’s back and Vision looked up at him.  Steve looked grim and shook his head. 

“Men like Ross won’t come to an agreement,”  Steve told him. Vision still seemed upset as Steve continued, “Now he will no longer bother you, but the trick will be getting it to look like an accident.”  

“Already on it,”  Sam said, clasping his hands behind his head with a smirk.  We all looked at him. “Stark already moved their bodies and edited their locations to on the Raft.  Unfortunately, floating prisons aren’t well known for being safe.” We all looked at him, waiting for him to confirm what I’m sure we were all wondering.  “Stark blew the thing to bits.” 

“Is it safe for us to go back home?”  I asked eagerly. I really just wanted to stop running and hiding, but I didn’t want anyone else to find a reason to imprison us again.  

“Not yet,”  Sam answered.  “But Stark is working on making it safe and should let us know as soon as possible when we can return safely.”  

“How do you know all this?”  Steve asked him. Sam pursed his lips and hesitated.  “Have you been in contact with him this whole time?” 

“No,”  Sam said immediately, pointing a finger at Steve and tilting his head slightly.  “No, I simply texted him with a phone he provided me with and told him what had happened after Vision told us.”  Steve groaned, but I could see a smile forming on his face along with the rest of us. 

“We’ll be home soon,”  I whispered happily. It seemed impossible.  I hadn’t been to the compound in what felt like forever and the thought of returning to it and not having to watch my back every time I went out was too good to be true.  Just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, I pinched myself. All I felt was a hard pinch, but I didn’t wake up. It was true. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter! I know it ends kind of funny, but I didn't know how else to end it. Enjoy!

_ Vision’s POV _

We had been with Captain Rogers and Mr. Wilson, who insisted I call him Sam, for nearly two weeks before Mr. Stark contacted me.  We were eating dinner when I got the message from FRIDAY and nearly dropped my fork. Wanda glanced at me to make sure I was okay and I cleared my throat, drawing the others’ attention.  

“Mr. Stark has just informed me it is safe to return to the compound,”  I said, smiling at Wanda. Her forehead still had stitched from where one of Ross’s men had cut her, but she still grinned widely at the news and hugged me tightly.  “I take it we are to leave immediately?” Wanda looked at Steve and Sam who glanced at each other. 

“We’ll pack up and be out within the hour,”  Steve promised. He then turned to me as he got up from the table.  “Tell him he better have good food.” I nodded and watched as he dumped his plate in the trash then went to pack up what little things he had.  Sam followed him close behind and Wanda and I worked quickly to clean up the little cabin as best as possible. 

“How will we be getting back?”  Wanda asked. Steve locked up the cabin twenty seven minutes later as we stood in the forest with the setting sun.  

“Follow me,”  he instructed.  We followed him deeper into the woods and I was just about to ask where we were going when we came across a quinjet.  Steve walked right on and started it up. Wanda, Sam, and I sat down in the seats and strapped ourselves in, preparing for the flight back to the compound.  

* * *

When we landed at the compound, I was not surprised to see Mr. Stark walking around inside.  I was surprised, however, to see Peter following him around, his mouth moving quite quickly. Mr. Stark seemed to be ignoring him as he asked question after question.  When they heard us land on the landing pad, though, both of them raced up to greet us. 

We had barely stepped off the launch pad when Mr. Stark arrived with Peter.  Captain Rogers and Mr. Stark looked at each other before both moved forward to hug the other.  When they pulled away, Mr. Stark shook Sam’s hand and carefully hugged Wanda. 

“Nasty cut there, kid,”  he told her, tracing the cut on his own forehead.  Wanda nodded and reached back for my hand again. “Speaking of kids…” Mr. Stark looked around for Peter and grinned when he saw the teen hiding behind him.  Mr. Stark pulled him in front and introduced him to Steve, Sam, and Wanda. “This is Peter. Peter, this is Steve, Sam, and Wanda.” Peter was, as expected, speechless.  He reached to shake Captain Rogers hand when offered and stumbled back quickly when released. 

“I took your shield,”  he mumbled. Captain Rogers tilted his head in confusion but nodded anyway.  “And you’re the chick with awesome magic!” Wanda seemed shocked at being addressed like this, but smiled nonetheless.  “I’m Spider-man,” Peter said. As soon as the words left his mouth, he looked like he regretted it. “Crap, I’m not supposed to tell anyone.”  

“Don’t worry, kid,”  Captain Rogers said, placing a hand on Peter’s shoulder.  Peter almost fell forward, but managed to keep himself steady.  “We won’t tell anyone.” 

“Good, because that would be really bad,”  Peter said. Captain Rogers then turned from Peter to Mr. Stark.  

“What are the conditions to our return?”  he asked. 

“You have to all do a press conference in the morning,”  Mr. Stark said. Wanda’s grip on my hand tightened and Mr. Stark must have noticed.  “Don’t worry, they think you’re just unfortunate victims Ross unfairly hunted. They’re on your side.  You don’t even have to talk, really, just make an appearance.” This seemed to calm Wanda down, but she didn’t let go of my hand.  “I even got the rest of the government to believe that thanks to Rhodey. The only restrictions are that we have to notify Rhodey whenever we leave for missions.”  

“That’s it?”  Sam asked. Mr. Stark nodded.  

“I may have had a little help from technology,”  Mr. Stark said evasively. Sam smiled and I even saw Captain Rogers hide a grin.  “The best part? Rhodey doesn’t even have to tell the government when we leave, he just has to know.”  

“Sounds too good to be true,”  Wanda commented. Mr. Stark shrugged.  

“The possibilities are virtually endless with a little memory altering tech and very persuasive arguments,”  he replied with a smirk. 


	15. Author’s Note

Hey!  Thanks so much for reading my story.  If you liked it, please check out my other works.  Thanks for reading!


End file.
